Complaints

As per our Customer Service Charter, SUSI’s aim is to provide the highest quality service possible to all members of the public who require our services. Our aim is to get it right “first time every time”. We recognise, however, that, on occasion, things can go wrong and we need you tell us when you are not happy with the service we have provided. We can then work to correct the issue and prevent it from happening again.

You can be assured that we will treat your complaint seriously and deal with you in a positive and professional manner. We view any complaint as an opportunity to review and improve our services.

What is a complaint?

A complaint is when you inform us that you are not happy with any area of the service we provided. For example:

We did not deliver a service within a reasonable period of time;

We gave you the incorrect information;

The service you received was not up to the highest expected standards;

You have a complaint about a member of staff;

You have a complaint about how we implement our policies;

You have an issue with how the final decision was determined by SUSI; and

Other

Please note: Issues you may have with a specific grant award or an appeal are not covered by this Complaints Procedure. If you consider that the award made to you by SUSI is incorrect then you should follow the Review and/or Appeals Process.

Our Commitment To You

Our Customer Service Charter outlines how we are committed to putting you first and providing you with the highest quality customer service possible.

This includes dealing with any complaints you may have. We will;

deal with your complaint professionally, fairly and in the quickest possible manner;

keep you updated on your complaint status and do everything we can to help you;

treat the information you give us in confidence;

explain our decision; and

use your complaint to review and improve the way we provide services.

All complaints are dealt with in the strictest confidence and do not affect your right to make a further complaint to the Ombudsman

The Complaints Process

Define your complaint

You will need to define the nature of your complaint as per the examples above or define any other type of issue you may have with the service provided to you.

Make an Informal Complaint

Initially we will try to deal with your complaint informally. This means you should contact the support desk (by email or phone) who will arrange to have your grievance reviewed by a supervisor who will do his/her best to resolve your complaint without the need to proceed further.

Make a Formal Complaint

If, after initiating an informal complaint you are still left unsatisfied you should then make a formal complaint to SUSI which will be dealt with by our Complaints Unit.

A Formal Complaint may be made by emailing complaints@susi.ie for any of the following reasons.

We did not deliver a service within a reasonable period of time;

We gave you the incorrect information;

The service you received was not up to the highest expected standards;

You have a complaint about a member of staff;

You have a complaint about how we implement our policies;

You have an issue with how the final decision was determined by SUSI; and

Other

We will then

Investigate your complaint;

Take any necessary action; and

Contact you within 28 working days (of the acknowledgement date of receipt of your complaint) to advise the outcome of your complaint and explain our decision.

If your complaint will take longer to investigate we will write to you and advise when you may receive a reply.

Office of the Ombudsman / Ombudsman’s for Children’s Office (OCO)

If you consider that you have been unfairly treated or are not satisfied with our decision on your complaint, you may;

contact the Office of the Ombudsman; or

contact the Ombudsman’s for Children’s Office (OCO) if you are under the age of 18.

Complaints to the OCO can be made directly by anyone under the age of 18. Adults can also bring complaints on behalf of children and other young people.

By law the Ombudsman Office and Ombudsman for Children’s Office can investigate complaints about any of our administrative actions or procedures as well as delays or inaction in your dealings with SUSI. The Ombudsman provides an impartial, independent and free dispute resolution service. Complaints to the Ombudsman and Ombudsman’s for Children’s Office may be made

Further details of the role of the Ombudsman for Children can be found here.

Comments and Suggestions

As well as learning from complaints, we want to know any ideas you may have to help us improve our services. You can do this by emailing us on support@susi.ie or by telling a member of staff about your comment or suggestion when on you call to the support desk (Tel: 0761 087 874).